A Visit from Saint Nicholas or A Yoga Gift Guide!

Dec3

You will have to forgive me, as I get a little giddy this time of year.  Perhaps it is the knowledge that the one day of the year where we all try to be a little nicer to our fellow man fast approaches – or maybe the smiling faces of children when they see the Christmas decorations in the storefronts and malls.  It isn’t the gifts, or money spent – but the love and thoughtfulness that goes into each one.

I will confess I was a little nervous as the festive season drew closer – for I will be alone on Christmas for the first time in many years.  I am grateful that it hasn’t done anything to affect my possibly just a little over-joyous mood – if anything, I’m even happier.  Part of my happiness is directly linked to my retail job position – I have met so many joyful shoppers and cute little babies – how could anyone not be happy?

Yes, we all need to be mindful of those in need, all year long – but especially now.  My own gift to myself is to anonymously (where possible) buy gifts and food for as many as I can afford this year.  It feels wonderful! Please try it yourself – find someone in need, and surprise them with a Christmas they would not otherwise have.  It will be the greatest gift you will ever receive.

Time for a little Christmas cheer!  We’ve just passed the one month mark – less than thirty days before Christmas!  In celebration of a Yoga Christmas this year, I’ve made a few ‘modifications’ to a very famous little Christmas poem written by Henry Livingston…or was it Moore?  The jury is still out – but I would like to think Henry Livingston wrote it in 1808…

A Visit from St. Nicholas

‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a yoga mat was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of stretch pants danced in their heads;
And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled down for a long winter’s nap,

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of asana guides to objects below,
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature yogi, and eight tiny reindeer,

With a little old book, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
and he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;

“Now, Dasher! Now, Dancer! Now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! On Cupid! On, Donder and Blitzen!
To the prop of the porch! To the top of the wall!
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!”

As bamboo towels that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with a water bottle, mount to the sky,
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in yoga socks, from his head to his foot,
and his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;
A bundle of candles he had flung on his back,
and he looked like a pedicure just opening his pack.

His eyes — how they twinkled! His dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
and the beard of his chin was as white as the snow;

The stump of a cookbook he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath;
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
that shook, when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly.

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know meditation cd’s had nothing to dread;

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the incense he rose;

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,
“Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night.”

I hope these suggestions gave you some great ideas for friends and family – or even yourself! Yes, a pedicure may seem like a bit of a stretch, but I see a lot of my feet when I am doing my practice! Here are my suggestions in the order in which they appear in the wonderful poem I hacked to pieces above (I’m sorry…really) – linked for your convenience:

Yoga Mat

Yoga Pants

Asana Guides

Buddha Statue

 Raja Yoga Or
Conquering
The Internal Nature

Yoga Blocks

Bamboo Towels

Water Bottles

Yoga ToeSox

Pedicure/Footbath

Cookbook

Guided Meditation

Zen Scents Incense

Happy holidays!

Filed Under: Book & DVD Reviews, Equipment & Apparel

Yoga and Music

Nov17

At my core, I am a creature of ritual with a very well-defined sense of what constitutes ‘giving due respect and honor’ to certain types of activities.  In the past (yesterday), I have been guilty of quite forcefully and almost angrily projecting my ‘lines in the sand’ onto someone else.  Without boring you with all the details, the essence of the conversation which quickly turned into an angry-preacher monologue involved an unfortunate soul making a comment about meditation and his use of acid rock and heavy metal as background music.

Blown Gasket

I nearly blew a gasket.  In retrospect, I behaved like a sanctimonious !$#*&%$^, that is all there is to it.  In my nightly self-examination of the day’s events and my moments of mindfulness and mindlessness, I did learn something else though; I began to think about what constitutes fitting music for Yoga practice.  In this case, we are going to talk about the use of music both as background ‘white noise’ and as a primary attention focusing instrument.

Music is vibration

Music can be defined in a number of ways; but at its core, we are talking about vibration traveling through air as a medium and impacting a highly sensitive membrane in our ears, thus allowing us to ‘hear’ the vibrations.  More so with music than with speech, the vibrations also impact and pass into our bodies as well, creating sympathetic physical responses, triggering memories or emotional states, as well as directly affecting lucidity, focus, and levels of consciousness.

The confirmed romanticist in me likes to think of good music as reflections of the vibratory harmony that nature and even stars and galaxies produce as part of their daily existence.  It turns out that there are in fact quite a few statistically proven research papers which help to break down different genres and there known effects:

Classical Music

Classical music rarely has any vocal accompaniment and therefore relies on the harmonies between the various instruments to convey the message.  Regardless of taste for classical music, it has been proven to reduce stress, calm the body and help stimulate and focus the mind.  Specifically, time-space reasoning and verbal acuity are directly affected.  This is accomplished by the music creating an ideal environment for your mind to function efficiently.  Classical music has also been documented to slow down heart rate, relieve high blood pressure and lessen such chemical imbalances as anxiety.

Country Music

I can say that this did not surprise me the least, as I have no use for “my dog died, my wife left me, my truck broke down and I’m outta beer” music!  Country music has been clearly linked to both depression and suicide.  Although the newer artists tend to be more upbeat, older country music places those already at risk of suicide in harm’s way through depressive themes which foster suicidal thoughts.

Rock Music

Rock music is the one genre that can actually stimulate your adrenal glands into releasing adrenaline as if in a fight or flight situation.  If you do not like rock music by nature, its effects on you can include discomfort and rising anger.  At a physiological level, both blood pressure and heart rate are known to increase as much as twenty-five percent.  If you are a fan of rock music, it can relieve stress without any noticeable effect on blood pressure or heart rate.

Mice exposed to rock music for prolonged periods while running mazes grew steadily slower at finding their way out to the point where total disorientation eventually set in.  When dissected, the mouse brains revealed that there were significant increases in messenger RNA, and wild neuron growth without proper linking to existing pathways.  These reasons among others are why rock music listeners have higher suicide rates, and are more prone to use street drugs.

Hip Hop/Rap Music

Music in this category can program teens and young adults, especially in the music video industry.  Studies show that teens and young adults who avidly watch overtly sexual and violence-based videos regularly are more likely to exhibit similar behaviour in reality.  Hip Hop tends to trigger stronger emotional responses, both negative and positive.

Classical Indian Music

Classical Indian music is based on ragas and taals.  Ragas are a traditional melodic type in Hindu music, consisting of a theme that expresses an aspect of religious feeling and sets forth a tonal system on which variations are improvised within a prescribed framework of typical progressions, melodic formulas, and rhythmic patterns.  Certain patterns in Indian music are well known to activate all of the Chakras within the body, and when used as therapy can relieve migraines, hypertension, anxiety, and chronic headaches.  Indian music is also quite effective in improving sleep quality among people with symptoms of depression.

The Practice

So here we are, about to pick our first selection of music.  What do you pick?  There are days where I prefer only the sound of my breath, and others where Indian Yoga music or classical music has fit the bill.  Up until now, there wasn’t much chance I would consider any other music fitting enough to honor the practice and provide benefit, but I tried something last night I have never done before…I completed my evening practice while listening to a collection of favourite eighties songs.  The music brought back many good memories (love the eighties!) and I must admit, my practice flowed along just fine.  In some ways, my level of happiness while doing Yoga was augmented directly by the music not only through the memories it brought to the surface, but by the melodies themselves.

To sum it all up…

To sum it up, we have an idea of some of the effects of various genres, as well as the realization that as everything is in a state of vibration, we should give attention to those things which can alter our own vibrational states – for good or bad.  Being mindful of your intention and what ‘sympathetic vibrations’ you wish to foster during your Yoga routine is a sure way to help in making the right music decisions. Choosing to use music as either background noise or as a primary focal point to hold attention during your practice is one of personal taste….and volume.  Here are a few of my favourites for use during my Yoga routines:

Yoga One (Compilation CD) ASIN: B000MV8D7E

Music for Yoga & Other Joys ASIN: B0001HK09S

Sacred Hindu Chants & Mantras ASIN: B000BS6XYS

Filed Under: Book & DVD Reviews, CD Reviews

Digital Dreams of Yoga Downloads

Oct29

Before I forget, Happy Halloween – especially to those of you with children young enough to enjoy dressing up and hunting down candy! (My only vice…okay, one of them!)

I wonder what Patanjali would have said if he could have foreseen the day when Yoga was freely available to over two billion people via the Internet.  Do you think he would be pleased?  Personally, I am split on the question.  On the one hand, Patanjali may feel that a Yoga video cheapens the experience, removing a vital teacher-student link that is essential to optimum results.  On the other hand, one so enlightened may instead be overjoyed that so many may be reached by Yoga, if only for a taste before attempting a real class.  As the former argument would negate the need for this article, I am going to assume that Patanjali would be pleased, and advocate anyone to try the many low cost and free offerings of Yoga that are available.

Pros and Cons

Digital Yoga

Real Life Instructor
The Good

  • Access to any style of Yoga you can imagine
  • Inexpensive.  Many sites have free offerings, and YouTube has thousands of free yoga session videos.
  • Fits your timeline, twenty-four hours a day.
  • No need to travel, more time for practice!

The maybe not so good?

  • Possibility for injury is higher
  • Motivation may be lower than in class setting
 The Good

  • Personal; energy-building through collective participation in a Yoga class
  • Posture is assessed and corrected, reducing risk of injury.
  • Motivation by classmates, instructor
  • Gets you ‘out of the house.’
  • Cost tends to breed a level of commitment all on its own…

The maybe not so good?

  • Cost can be prohibitive

I’m sure if we thought for awhile longer; there would be many points we could add to both sides of either list, but why?  Both digital Yoga and traditional classroom settings have their good and bad points, Yin and Yang, pyjamas and Yoga pants…Choosing digital Yoga as a place to start and then supplementing this with research and real-life classes would be a nice balance, but the more I write the more I am becoming convinced that as long as one heeds the warnings and advice given prior and during an instructional video, go for it!  Yoga is a force unto itself, and any Yoga is much better than no Yoga!

A List of my favourite Yoga digital download sites

Here are my top two Yoga download sites.  From what I have been able to find out, they are both reputable and offer a wide variety of instructional content in many disciplines.  They offer free twenty minute sessions, and of course there is always YouTube…As a rule of thumb, judge the authenticity of a Yoga video on YouTube by checking comments and viewer ratings.

www.yogadownload.com

(Excerpted from site)

Yoga Download was founded by people who love yoga and embody yoga as a way of life and who were becoming increasingly concerned about how difficult and expensive it was to get to a quality yoga class. We know how important a consistent yoga practice is to living a happy, healthy, balanced life, and we wanted to find a way to make the benefits of yoga more accessible and affordable for everyone.

Then one day on a sunny afternoon in the park, as Yoga Download founder Jamie Kent watched people working out with their mp3 players, she came up with an idea: why not combine the modern technology of portable media with the ancient practice of yoga to create quality classes that are not only affordable, but available to people anytime, anywhere? Thus the idea for Yoga Download was born.  Since then, Jamie and her team of yoga enthusiasts have been hard at work creating inexpensive, quality yoga classes that can easily be downloaded or played from Yoga Download’s online yoga website and performed by anyone, anytime, anywhere.

Why Yoga Download?

  • Practice in the comfort of your own home, in any room
  • Keep your printable pose guides forever, and use them to enhance your yoga practice
  • Practice at your own pace and on your own schedule
  • Lots of FREE 20 min. classes – stretch and get a great workout in a short amount of time
  • Choose from a wide variety of class lengths, levels, yoga styles, meditations and music
  • Create long, lean muscle tone
  • Lose weight
  • Become more focused and relaxed
  • Let go of stress
  • Classes for beginners, advanced students, and everyone in between
  • Practice anytime, anywhere (and we really mean anywhere – even at the park or on the beach!)
  • Our classes are: the best quality, convenient, affordable and truly portable
  • Keep your gaze where it belongs!
  • No TV screens, no computer screens = no distractions
  • Our classes are designed with clear instruction so they are easy to follow
  • We offer printable pose guides with clear pictures of each pose, and an online pose guide with large pictures and detailed descriptions.
  • It is like having a yoga instructor right in the room with you

Experience the freedom and power of an audio yoga class!!

www.myyogaonline.com

(Excerpted from site)

Our Company, Our Passion

It’s simple. Our passion became our company. We’ve always believed in whole health, and the power of yoga, health and wellness. In 2005, we created My Yoga Online so we could share this passion with the world. We wanted to bring the benefits of yoga, Pilates, meditation, dance, nutrition, and holistic living to everyone, everywhere.

Today, we stream hundreds of high-definition videos to people in countries all over the world. We offer one of the largest and most diverse Mind-Body video and article libraries in the global arena. Our Premium, On Demand subscription service provides unlimited online access to the powerful benefits of yoga and wellness, wherever and whenever our members need them.

Your Practice, Your Results

Our classes fit your schedule. You can practice at home, at work, while traveling – or anywhere else you want. With one of the largest online library of yoga and wellness videos and articles in the world, you can choose the perfect class for you, exactly when you need it. We’ll help you progress on your yoga journey and reach your fitness goals quickly and easily – whether you have tons of experience or none at all.

(End)

It doesn’t matter

At the end of the day, when the skies grow dark and ghosts and goblins roam the sidewalks – the only thing that matters is that you have some sort of exposure to Yoga.  Digital, real-life, or Memorex…The power of Yoga lies within the individual more than the medium.

Again, Happy Halloween to all of you!

Namaste

Photo courtesy of www.hiren.info

Filed Under: Book & DVD Reviews

Teaching Yoga: Essential Foundations and Techniques

Oct22

Om bhur bhuvah svah
Tat savitur varenyam
Bhargo devasya dhimahi
Dhiyo yonah prachodayat

Translation:

Through the coming, going, and the balance of life
The essential nature illuminating existence is the adorable one
May all perceive through subtle intellect
The brilliance of enlightenment.

(Chapter One – Teaching Yoga: Essential Foundations and Techniques)

Classroom in a Book

I came across Teaching Yoga last week and picked it up to not only improve the free Yoga classes I offer to those who cannot afford to attend a class themselves, but to improve my own knowledge as well.  Meeting all the teacher training curriculum and standards that the Yoga Alliance sets as the leading world registry for accredited instructors; Teaching Yoga also serves as a classroom textbook for new student teachers – as well as for the average Yogi like me looking to enhance their own practice and skills in all areas of Yoga.

Pilates…Hah!

Contrary to some remaining opinions out there that Yoga is nothing more than calisthenics and skin tight clothing (Pilates – snicker!); Mark Stephens’s latest book is an embodiment of Hatha Yoga in its truest sense.  The experience and wisdom Mark gained through starting a successful program fifteen years ago to bring Yoga to schools, prisons, treatment centers and veteran’s facilities is revealed in what has become the first comprehensive guide for would be teachers and practitioners alike.

Teach with Integrity

Teaching Yoga is filled with profound insight into the complex history of Yoga.  The mythological meanings of the Asanas are discussed, as is practical techniques for teaching and exploring Pranayama and meditation.  Teachers are given a multitude of tools to help plan and sequence classes, teach with integrity and authority, and work with students whose physical situations require additional time and variation.

There are not enough praises I can heap on this helpful and valuable life manual, for that is at its core what Yoga really is about…Life!  It is clear to me that the author of Teaching Yoga: Essential Foundations and Techniques has traveled the journey inward through the Asanas and into the heart of Yoga itself.  Mark’s gentle but firm insistence in pushing by myths to the practice and developing your own authentic expression of Yoga are basis enough for purchasing this book, as it is the most valuable lesson of all:  Yoga is alive, evolving, changing, as is all of life, and finding your own expression of this truth will be the best gift you can offer as a teacher.

Yin YangYin YangYin YangYin YangYin Yang

For Teachers of all Wisdom…

Many years ago I used to congratulate myself on how smart I was becoming and how good my grades were.  At the time, I failed to realize that even though the grades were mine, and I was becoming an intelligent young man, the reason it was possible was because of my teachers. One teacher who stands out in particular was my grade three teacher, a Mr. Madden.  Of all the school teachers I remember, my memory of him is most vivid.

As the only poor (I mean really poor) grade three student in my class, it didn’t help that I only had my mother in my life.  She was ill as well, with what one day became known as Lupus; although at the time the doctors were clueless on how to help her.  Without the kindness, time, understanding, and caring that Mr. Madden brought into my life…I could not even imagine.  I was young, very much alone, and very much in need of guidance.  The foundation that Mr. Madden helped me lay within myself is still there, too.  I like to think that like a pyramid rising up towards the sun, the early layers of the foundation being laid are the most important, and that the foundation Mr. Madden helped me build has continued to support me my entire life thus far.

A True Gift

Accepting the responsibility of becoming a teacher is not one of choice, according to my way of thinking.  We are all given opportunity every day to be both the teacher and the student – to give openly and then openly receive.  The foundation of our mind and how it learns is a function of being taught, and therefore naturally to also teach in return.

There are those of us who feel the natural urge to share in learning with others so strongly that it drives us to become a teacher as a life’s calling – whether as a full or part-time job in our society or as a Swami in an Ashram in India…each of you who chooses to teach others is worthy of the highest praise.  Your gift of knowledge, wisdom, kindness, and willingness to help others around you is already its own reward, as I am sure you are well aware.

Yoga, a path to the Heart of Life

Perhaps this is why I have found it so difficult to actively teach – I must feel not yet worthy of such a title as “teacher.”  I am content to remain a student of life, Yoga, and all its mysteries, happy to know there are so many dedicated and caring people who are worthy of such an honourable undertaking that teaching is.  To all those who teach or would like to teach Yoga, you honor the planet, its people, and yourself.  You teach a way to the Heart of Life, and a way to peace and joy in a world in so much need.

Namaste.

Filed Under: Book & DVD Reviews

Happy Thanksgiving

Oct8

Imagine the look on my face when a lady asked me yesterday if I had begun my Christmas shopping…My jaw practically hit the floor.  This is Thanksgiving weekend here in Canada, and unless I am mistaken, we still have Halloween to get through, don’t we?  Please don’t misunderstand, I love Christmas.  Christmas is a time of year that tends to bring out the best in people.  If I had it my way, it would be Christmas every day – in spirit anyway.

The Christmas Lady

I have a ‘built in’ loathing for the over commercialization of our holidays; we seem driven not by the seasons of nature, but by the shopping seasons…which goes a long way toward explaining the dumbfounded look I had on my face, but the lady had a point.  Of course I buy gifts (or make them) for dear friends and family, most of us do if we are fortunate to be able.  Planning in advance can be a very good idea, allow us to budget our expenses a little better, and perhaps put that little bit of extra thought into our gifts.  As with Thanksgiving, Christmas is not about what you receive, but what you give.  The amount of thought and genuine love we put into what we give – gift or otherwise – is returned to us many times over.  Such is the way of Life.

Yoga gift idea #1:

Friendship: The Art of the Practice by Laurie Ellis-Young and Nancy Chakrin.

Released October 1st of this year; this eighty page hardcover features a collection of awe-inspiring photographs of friends practicing Yoga and friendship in beautiful settings around the globe.  Friendship: The Art of the Practice couples this stunning imagery with inspiring quotes that reveal the unique bonds formed from the practice of friendship and celebrates the richness of these connections.

Laurie Ellis-Young is well traveled and has practiced and taught Yoga for thirty five years.  Nancy Chakrin is a unique and talented artist and photographer whose friendship with Laurie began in Guatemala in 2008.  Together, their journey in pursuit of revealing the magic of Yoga and friendship and the strength it brings led Laurie and Nancy to explore lakes, deserts, ocean shores, jungles, volcanoes and cityscapes.  A perfect gift for a close friend you may wish to introduce Yoga to, or a fellow practitioner who would love the inspiration Friendship: The Art of the Practice will bring to their practice.

Yoga gift idea #2:

Metamorphosis: An Artist Envisions the Asanas of Yoga by Emanuele Scanziani and Jennifer Abel.

Released in October of 2008, Metamorphosis reveals a unique perspective of the bond between mind, body, form, and imagination.  This illustrated book encourages practitioners both young and old to enjoy the shapes of the asanas and the objects or creatures in nature they mimic.  Each beautifully illustrated page reveals brief descriptions of the asana as well as the meditative essence of the pose.

Through the illustrations by Emanuele Scanziani, our imagination comes alive in the morphing of human to animal, plant and inanimate object; allowing for a deeper, more transformative experience in our practice.  In allowing ourselves to enter into this playful morphing of ourselves, we find the heart of Yoga – the bond between mind, body, spirit, and all of creation in all its diversity.

Born in Italy; Emanuele Scanziani lives and works from an international commune in South India as an artist and freelance illustrator.  Canadian writer Jennifer Abel is an avid Vinyasa and Yin Yoga practitioner who resides in Seattle, Washington where she is actively involved in the local Yoga community.  Metamorphosis: An Artist Envisions the Asanas of Yoga is an excellent gift choice for the young and the young at heart.  Its playful and imaginative approach is refreshing and brings to life Yoga’s deeper, transformative aspects.

Yoga gift idea #3:

Aurorae Northern Lights Yoga Mat with Golden Sun Focal Icon

As far as Yoga mats go, for the money this mat is the “Cadillac of mats” in my humble opinion.  The Yoga mat is made from PER Eco safe material and is biodegradable and Phthalate free.  For those interested (I had to look it up), Phthalate is a chemical plastic softener that is reported to be the possible cause of reproductive or developmental problems because it mimics a natural estrogenic hormone.  Many grooming products also contain this chemical, so please read the label or inquire when you are unsure.  Back to the mat…so to speak!

Highlights:

  • Exciting New Northern Lights Design that Illuminates Energy/ w Golden Sun Focal Icon
  • Extra Long 72″ x 24″ Wide and 5 mm thick to absorb impact on joints.  No odor, durable and long lasting
  • Each individual mat has a uniqueness of its own and no two mats are exactly the same
  • Aurorae produces the mats that consistently remain ranked number one in feedback and customer satisfaction.

I won’t speculate on the claims that the mat replicates the natural energy of the Northern Lights, but I know a good mat when I sit on one.  Best of all, if you are a little ‘shifty’ when it comes to position on the Yoga mat, this mats large size will help keep you literally on the mat.  Aurorae mats are easy to care for, comfortable, impact absorbent and non-slip.  For the avid practitioner in your life…or yourself!

What about Thanksgiving?

What does any of this have to do with Thanksgiving?  Very little, I admit.  I am thankful for all of you, dear readers, and this website’s owner.  I am thankful for Yoga, sunshine, rain, and good food to eat.  I am thankful for “the Christmas Lady” whose seemingly wacky question led to this article.  Planning in advance and considering the idea of making it a “Yoga Christmas” may help enrich the lives of those around you, as I am sure you already do.  At the least, it may take a little strain off the pocketbook…and all of us are thankful for that!

Happy Thanksgiving…from my heart to yours.

Namaste

Filed Under: Book & DVD Reviews
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